Evidence and policy review: Domestic violence and poverty

This study provides a narrative review of evidence on the connections between poverty and domestic violence and abuse in the UK. Drawing upon existing data sources and a review of policy interventions in the UK and elsewhere, the study addresses the following questions:

• What are the causal links (if any) between poverty and domestic violence and abuse? Is there any robust evidence which sheds light on this issue?
• In what ways should an understanding of current policy and practice on DVA inform the development of a comprehensive strategy to tackle poverty?
• Is there useful international evidence on DVA interventions that might usefully inform the design and delivery of anti-poverty initiatives in the UK?
• How can anti-poverty initiatives be designed in order to better address the needs of women and children experiencing or vulnerable to DVA?

The review builds on existing analyses on the connections between DVA and socio-economic disadvantage and new evidence on this topic drawn from the 2012 UK Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey. The study reviews the anti-poverty implications of DVA interventions and seeks to inform understanding of the anti-poverty practice implications of domestic violence and abuse.